"...the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology. ... The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated. ... As yet there is only one country which has succeeded in creating this politician’s paradise.” - Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society, 1960.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

This is sketchy, a summation of scattered reports on Dr. Murray. Much more biographical information would be a boon, but it has been coming at a trickle as mysterious LAPD shadows cough up one small development at a time to bob up in the media like a champagne cork on the Sargasso Sea. - AC

by saul relativeAssociated ContentJuly 18, 2009

Dr. Conrad Murray: TMZ Has Built a Pretty Good Circumstantial Case Against Him

TMZ continues to build its homicide case against Dr. Conrad Murray with regard to the death of Michael Jackson, stating that not only has evidence continued to mount against Jackson's doctor, but that he also has left the state of California and has refused to speak with Los Angeles Police Department investigators. Although the LAPD has not issued an arrest warrant for Dr. Conrad Murray, TMZ maintains that their sources within the department contend that the investigation, which is being treated like a homicide, is leaning heavily toward the doctor, who was the last person to see Michael Jackson alive. And although what TMZ has reported amounts to nothing more than hearsay, the celebrity online magazine does seem to produce some interesting information.

TMZ reported Saturday that Dr. Conrad Murray has refused to sit down with the LAPD for a third interview. Their sources stated that Murray's lawyer said that the doctor would be unavailable for a scheduled third interview, which was supposed to have taken place earlier this week. Authorities have spoken with Murray twice before: on the day of Michael Jackson's death and two days afterward.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office was scheduled to sit in on this interview as well.

In a strange turn of events, when the LAPD called Conrad Murray's lawyer to confirm his cancellation, they were referred to another lawyer who told them that Dr. Conrad Murray's lawyer would not be speaking to them.

TMZ reported Friday that Murray was no longer in the state of California. He is now in Houston, Texas, where he practices medicine.

The doctor became the focus of the investigation early on, when rumors and the words of witnesses pointed the police in the direction of Dr. Conrad Murray. Family, friends, and precedent said that Michael Jackson was not only at one time addicted to painkillers but was still taking some forms of medication. Demerol was first suspected as being the agent of Jackson's death. The L. A. County Coroner's Office then refused to issue a determination on the cause of death until further toxicology tests were performed. Investigators soon learned that Michael Jackson possibly had been using a powerful drug called Propofol (also known as Diprivan) to rest. A subsequent search of Michael Jackson's residence, the second search, resulted in the finding of Propofol vials. And since Propofol must needs be administered with oxygen and constant attention to its administration, investigative eyes intensified their scrutiny of Dr. Conrad Murray.

TMZ sources also told them that the LAPD believes that Murray was the doctor that gave Propofol to Michael Jackson and may have killed the pop star.

So what does all of this mean for the homicide investigation? It simply means that Dr. Conrad Murray just may have some criminal and civil legal issues in his future. But that remains to be determined. Without the toxicology results and a determination by the Coroner's Office that Propofol caused Michael Jackson's death, it is doubtful that an arrest will be made.

But that may not stop the family from seeking some form of civil restitution.

And although all the evidence TMZ's sources say exist against the doctor may look incriminating, it must be remembered that it is all circumstantial. There does not seem to be an intent to commit harm by the doctor, so, although the death might be ruled a homicide, it still does not amount to murder. Perhaps willful negligence can be implied. That Dr. Conrad Murray might face a manslaughter charge seems most likely, but, again, that only depends on how good the evidence is and if the death of the singer is determined a homicide.

Still, Dr. Conrad Murray does himself no favors by not agreeing to meet with investigators. His behavior will be reported to a jury should Michael Jackson's death be ruled an actual homicide and the matter make it to trial. And circumstantial evidence combined with opportunity and suspicious behavior after the fact can swing a jury's vote against someone being tried for killing someone.